Research Publications (Accounting and Informatics)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/212

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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7

Bridging the digital divide with changing information literacy methods in post-apartheid South Africa
(Springer International Publishing, 2013) Naidoo, Segarani; Omarsaib, Mousin
This paper reports on a study done at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). The aim of the study was to identify innovative teaching and learning methods that would accommodate the diverse student population in the IL classroom and to recommend guidelines for teaching and learning of IL. The digital divide is defined as the gap or divide between those with access to and skills in information and communication technologies (ICTs) and those without such access or skills. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used. Self-administered questionnaires were administered to 227 students from the Faculty of Health who were engaged in the IL module, Subject Librarians (SL) teaching IL and the Co-ordinator of the IL module from the Centre of Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at the Durban University of Technology were interviewed. The findings of this study could be applied globally.
A decision making tool for the improvement of service quality at universities
(The Clute Institute, 2014) Green, Paul
There have been numerous studies conducted on the evaluation of service quality at universities. However, there remains a deficiency on using a Multi Criteria Decision making approach in determining factors to consider for the improvement of service quality at a university. The purpose of this paper is to report on the use of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a decision making tool in determining factors to consider for the improvement of service quality at a university. The study adopted a mixed method methodology and an action research approach was employed. A purposive convenient sample of 30 participants was used. Data was collected via questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. The data was captured in the software Expert Choice and the results were processed by taking the aggregated group judgements as the geometric mean of the individual comparisons. The findings reveal that organisational and educational issues are paramount to providing an effective service at tertiary institutions.
The effectiveness of work-integrated learning in South African Universities of technology : a case study of Durban University of Technology
(2016-07) Ngwane, Knowledge Siyabonga Vusamandla
This paper looks at the effectiveness of Work-Integrated Learning in increasing the employability of students studying Office Management and Technology diploma at the Durban University of Technology. The national debate on graduate employment has moved from the narrow focus on a set of essential core skills within the undergraduate curriculum. Work-integrated learning (WIL) programs are becoming popular with students, government, employers, and universities. A major benefit of a WIL program is the increased employability of students, and this matches well with the present trend whereby students expect a pay-off from their investment in education. Various initiatives have been introduced to prepare students for graduate jobs rather than for any job. This includes developing critical, reflective abilities, skills for self-career management and the maintenance of employability and career progression. For OMT students, employability depends on the knowledge, skills and attitudes they possess, the way they use those assets and present them to employers and the context within which they work. The most effective initiative which enhances employment of OMT graduates is the effective and efficient Work Integrated Learning (WIL) they undergo when they do their third year. The Department ensures the placement of all students which grants jobs to more than 70% of the students. The training these students receive so far equips them with the necessary abilities to function as intelligent citizens who can be self-employed and self-reliant. The skills they acquire enable them to contribute to the productivity and development of the organisations they work for. Many graduates are affected by an increasing rate of unemployment but this is not the case for OMT graduates. Most universities has recently strengthened their commitment to WIL through adding WIL to their strategic directions and re-shaping areas of the university to better manage and support WIL provision.
Kestrel-based search algorithm for association rule mining and classification of frequently changed items
(IEEE, 2016) Agbehadji, Israel Edem; Fong, Simon; Millham, Richard
Nature inspired approaches have been used in the design of computer solutions for real life problems. These computer solutions take the form of algorithms which characterize specific behaviour of animals or birds in their natural habitat. The two bio-inspired computational concepts in modern times includes evolutionary and swarm intelligence. A novel introduction to the bio-inspired computational concepts of swarm behaviour is the study of characteristics of kestrel birds. The study presents, as a concept paper, a meta-heuristic algorithm called kestrel-based search algorithm (KSA) for association rule mining and classification of frequently changed items on big data environment. This algorithm aims to find best possible rules and patterns in dataset using minimum support and minimum confidence.
A systemic framework for improving clients' understanding of software requirements
(ECIS 2015 Proceedings at AIS Electronic Library (AISeL), 2015-05-29) Wing, Jeanette Wendy; Andrew, Theophilus Nethiekreethum; Petkov, Doncho
This research proposes a systemic framework for the understanding of client requirements in Information System development that is particularly relevant for project contexts characterized by diversity of stakeholder values and significant complexity. In spite of the strong research tradition associated with Soft Systems Methodology and the growing interest in the Work System Method, the level of use of those by practitioners is not high as such situations require harnessing the strengths of more than one methodology. The paper explores the selection of techniques from three systems methodologies and mixing them to be applied in the process of requirements understanding by clients. The mixing of methods from various methodologies is justified through the principles of Critical Systems Practice and the process of their use is guided by Action Design Research. The contribution of the paper for the field of Information Systems is in the proposal of a more powerful framework for promoting organizational learning about software requirements understanding by clients.
Theme evolution and structure in Twitter : a case study of South African student protests of 2015
(IEEE, 2016) Millham, Richard
Social media, based on human interactions, often has constantly changing foci, or themes, within their interactions. These themes, frequently used to categorize information within this social media, often evolve dependent on time, domain, and event contexts. Using a case study of South African student protests during a short but eventful time period in 2015, this paper analyses numerous tweets made to selected hashtags (one national and two local) in order to determine relevant themes within these tweets and to determine how these themes evolved, both at the national and local level, given their context. It was discovered that, as certain events unfolded, certain themes varied in prominence and locally-based hashtags converged into nationally-based hashtags reflecting a change in the nature of the protests.
Use of the Alice visual environment in teaching and learning object-oriented programming
(Association for Computing Machinery, 2015-09) Dwarika, Jeraline; De Villiers, M. Ruth
Learners at tertiary institutions struggle with writing object-oriented programs in complex object-oriented programming (OOP) languages. This paper describes a study that sought to improve learners’ understanding of programming in the domain of OOP. This was done through the use of a visual programming environment (VPE) called Alice, which was designed to help novice programmers learn OOP concepts, whilst creating animated movies and video games. A questionnaire was administered to obtain quantitative and qualitative data regarding learners’ understanding of OOP and their experience with the Alice environment. Findings indicate that learners spend insufficient time on programming exercises and struggle with problem-solving, applying OOP concepts, and abstraction. However, the use of Alice addressed challenges faced by experiment participants within the object-oriented domain and improved their motivation to learn OOP. Further results revealed that the test and exam performance of learners who used Alice, was not statistically better than those of similar learners who were not exposed to the Alice intervention.